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Congress at a Glance:

×How to Read Chart:
This chart shows the ideologies of major parties in Congress throughout history according to DW-Nominate.
Each line represents the median (mid-point) ideology of members of a single party. A lower line means a more liberal party, while a higher line means a more conservative party.
The grey line shows the median across all parties in Congress at a given point. As control of Congress changes hands after elections, large swings in the median ideology are visible. The pale dots in the background show the range of ideologies within a party. Move your mouse over party lines for more details, click a line to explore a single party.